Parisian Gnocchi

This dish is considered humble fare, and one you would never see
in a restaurant. Hence it's largely unknown to folks outside of
France. Paule Caillat gave me her family recipe, to
which I made a few changes (authorized, of course). The dumplings
are made of pâte à choux dough, similar to that used for profiteroles.

They're partially cooked by poaching them first, then baking,
where they'll puff up gloriously before settling down, waiting to
be scooped up from under a blanket of browned cheese. This is a
pretty rich dish; serve it with a simple green salad.

Preparation

1. To make the pâte à choux, heat the water, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon
of salt in a saucepan over medium heat just until the butter
is melted. Dump in all the flour at once and stir the mixture
briskly for about 2 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball.
Remove from the heat and scrape the dough into the bowl of a
stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don't have
a stand mixer, simply leave it in the bowl.) Let the dough sit for
3 minutes, stirring it every so often to release some of the heat.

2. With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the eggs one at a
time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the
next. Add the dry mustard and beat until the dough is completely
smooth. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside.

3. To make the mornay sauce, melt the butter in the saucepan over
medium heat. Add the flour and cook, letting the mixture bubble,
stirring constantly for 2 minutes, until the paste is thickened.
(Don't let it brown.) Gradually whisk in the milk, beginning
slowly and stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

4. Decrease the heat to low and cook the mornay for 6 minutes,
stirring frequently, or until the sauce is about as thick as a
milkshake. Remove from heat and add the salt, cayenne, and
1/2 cup (40g) of the Swiss-style grated cheese; stir until the
cheese is melted.

5. Butter a shallow 2 1/2- to 3-quart (2.5 to 3l) baking dish. (A
wide dish is preferable to a deep one for browning the cheese
topping.) Sprinkle half of the Parmesan over the bottom and
sides. Spread 1 cup (250ml) of the mornay sauce over the bottom
of the baking dish.

6. Line a large dinner plate with a few layers of paper towels.
Bring a pot of salted water to a low boil. Either using two
soupspoons—one to scoop up some of the dough and the other
to scrape it into the boiling water—or a spring-loaded ice cream
scoop filled partially full, scoop a round of the dough—about
1 generous tablespoon each—and drop it into the water. (The
ice cream scoop was a little newfangled for Paule, although she
did agree—reluctantly—that it was more expedient and made
nicer gnocchi.) Working in batches, poach 8 to 10 gnocchi at a
time. Let them poach for 2 minutes, then retrieve them from
the water and drain them on the paper towels. (They won't be
fully cooked inside.) Repeat, poaching the rest of the gnocchi
the same way.

7. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) with the oven rack in the top third of the oven.

8. Once the gnocchi are parcooked, place them in a single layer on top of the mornay in the baking dish, and then spoon the rest of
the mornay over the gnocchi in a fairly even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/4 cups (100g) of Swiss-style cheese over the top,
along with the remaining Parmesan. Put the baking dish on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400ºF (200ºC) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese on top is well browned. Let cool a few minutes, and then serve in the baking dish, family style.

variations:
Add 1 cup (130g) diced ham or cooked bacon cubes to the dish, distributing them over the bottom layer of béchamel before placing the gnocchi in the baking dish. Or put some coarsely chopped, sautéed arugula, kale, mustard greens, or radicchio under the gnocchi.

DAVID LEBOVITZ has been a professional cook and baker for most of his life; he spent nearly thirteen years at Chez Panisse until he left the restaurant business in 1999 to write books. He moved to Paris in 2004 and turned davidlebovitz.com into a phenomenally popular blog. He is the author of six books, including The Perfect Scoop, Ready for Dessert, The Great Book of Chocolate, and a memoir called The Sweet Life in Paris, and he was named one of the Top FIve Pastry Chefs in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle. David has also been featured in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Cook's Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, and more.

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